Wynncom acquired by Fortran Corporation

Published: Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 5:32 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 5:32 p.m.

Wynncom, Inc. of Lexington has been acquired by Fortran Corp. of Hickory through a definitive share exchange agreement.

Jimmy Wynn, president and founder of Wynncom, said this offers an opportunity for the small homegrown business to expand.

"We have talked on several occasions, and I am really comfortable with them," Wynn said. "They are very experienced in management of businesses. It is a good fit for us."

Wynn said the acquisition will not affect how the company operates or any of the employees. Under the share exchange program, Wynncom bought shares in Fortran, and Fortran bought the controlling interest in Wynncom. The agreement allows the two firms to retain their independent existence.

"There will be no change in the name or operations," Wynn said. "We have ownership in Fortran, and they have control of Wynncom. This will give us a chance to expand and get some capital to get projects off the ground. They are interested in expanding in our Mitel (communications) products and want to offer it to other divisions in the company."

Wynncom was founded in Lexington in 1985 and provides telephone systems, local and long distance service, structured cabling, data solutions and website development services.

In December 2011, the Wynncom building on Fifth Street was destroyed by fire after old electrical wiring malfunctioned. Although all of the company's data was backed up to a remote server, the warehouse for its onsite server and parts was destroyed. Wynncom moved to a new location at 911 Talbert Blvd. in 2012.

Wynncom was named the Samsung Dealer of the Year for 2005, which means it sold more Samsung products than 600 other dealers across the country. During that same year, the company was named No. 4 out of 25 local telephone equipment providers by the Charlotte Business Journal while The Triad Business Journal ranked Wynncom No. 9 out of 25 area website designers.

Fortran Communications has three regional offices in North and South Carolina in the media and telecommunications integration business serving more than 4,000 businesses, government agencies and special industries. Its services include designing, sourcing, implementing and maintaining complex communications solutions for business and governments.

In a written statement, Douglas Rink, Fortran's president and CEO, said, "Wynncom has a long history of successful operations in central and eastern North Carolina and a fierce competitor to us. Over the next several quarters, our success will be crucial to our ability to amalgamate duplicative processes into a cohesive unit."

For now, Wynn will remain the president of Wynncom, but he says he would like to retire in the next four years. He believes the acquisition will help springboard Wynncom into the future.

"It's been an exciting 30 years," Wynn said. "The industry has evolved, and we have stayed abreast of what is happening. I think we will be even more ahead of the curve with them behind us. We will have the opportunity to do things we could not do before."

Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow Sharon on Twitter: @LexDisptachSM

<p>Wynncom, Inc. of Lexington has been acquired by Fortran Corp. of Hickory through a definitive share exchange agreement. </p><p>Jimmy Wynn, president and founder of Wynncom, said this offers an opportunity for the small homegrown business to expand. </p><p>"We have talked on several occasions, and I am really comfortable with them," Wynn said. "They are very experienced in management of businesses. It is a good fit for us."</p><p>Wynn said the acquisition will not affect how the company operates or any of the employees. Under the share exchange program, Wynncom bought shares in Fortran, and Fortran bought the controlling interest in Wynncom. The agreement allows the two firms to retain their independent existence.</p><p>"There will be no change in the name or operations," Wynn said. "We have ownership in Fortran, and they have control of Wynncom. This will give us a chance to expand and get some capital to get projects off the ground. They are interested in expanding in our Mitel (communications) products and want to offer it to other divisions in the company."</p><p>Wynncom was founded in Lexington in 1985 and provides telephone systems, local and long distance service, structured cabling, data solutions and website development services.</p><p>In December 2011, the Wynncom building on Fifth Street was destroyed by fire after old electrical wiring malfunctioned. Although all of the company's data was backed up to a remote server, the warehouse for its onsite server and parts was destroyed. Wynncom moved to a new location at 911 Talbert Blvd. in 2012. </p><p>Wynncom was named the Samsung Dealer of the Year for 2005, which means it sold more Samsung products than 600 other dealers across the country. During that same year, the company was named No. 4 out of 25 local telephone equipment providers by the Charlotte Business Journal while The Triad Business Journal ranked Wynncom No. 9 out of 25 area website designers.</p><p>Fortran Communications has three regional offices in North and South Carolina in the media and telecommunications integration business serving more than 4,000 businesses, government agencies and special industries. Its services include designing, sourcing, implementing and maintaining complex communications solutions for business and governments.</p><p>In a written statement, Douglas Rink, Fortran's president and CEO, said, "Wynncom has a long history of successful operations in central and eastern North Carolina and a fierce competitor to us. Over the next several quarters, our success will be crucial to our ability to amalgamate duplicative processes into a cohesive unit."</p><p>For now, Wynn will remain the president of Wynncom, but he says he would like to retire in the next four years. He believes the acquisition will help springboard Wynncom into the future. </p><p>"It's been an exciting 30 years," Wynn said. "The industry has evolved, and we have stayed abreast of what is happening. I think we will be even more ahead of the curve with them behind us. We will have the opportunity to do things we could not do before."</p><p>Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow Sharon on Twitter: @LexDisptachSM</p>